Values & Policy Priorities
Vermont is our refuge; we need to protect it.
It's About the Students
Education must be about the needs of students, families, and our local communities. I've won several fights for our schools before — including the successful campaign to pass the Burlington High School (BHS) bond, ensuring our students have a safe, modern place to learn.
- Opposing Cuts: I strongly oppose the current plan to cut $63 million from Chittenden and Grand Isle County schools. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of our children. And we don't have to.
- A Better Funding Model: We must fill the Education Fund and reduce the tax pressure on Vermonters by taking a serious look at a second-homeowner tax.
- Leaders need to look inwards at our community — not upwards at their own career paths — to protect our local schools.
Prioritizing Patients Over Profits
Every Vermonter deserves access to affordable primary care. For too long, families have been squeezed by a system that prioritizes corporate overhead and hospital monopolies.
- Ending Monopolies: I support reducing the monopolistic power large institutions hold over independent providers.
- Incentivizing Care: We must move forward with policies in the Senate that directly incentivize primary care and support independent providers.
- The Goal: We will prioritize patients over profits to ensure healthcare is a resource for families, not a drain on them.
Homes for Neighbors, Not Investors
Vermont faces a staggering 30,000-home deficit, leaving both young and old Vermonters unable to find affordable places to live. Housing must be for Vermont families, not out-of-state investors.
- Regional Alignment: Because Vermont lacks a strong county government, we struggle with regional coordination. I will leverage my trusted relationships — from my time as a community organizer, County Chair of the Democratic Party, and host of There's No "A" in Creemee — with House representatives, municipal leaders, advocates, and the Senate caucus to bridge this gap.
- Smart Growth: I am ready to expedite regional progress by increasing density in our town centers while allowing the growth families need in our rural areas.
- The Goal: Building the trust needed to deliver a self-reliant future where our kids can actually afford to stay here.
Main Street Over Wall Street
To put Vermont values into action, we must be able to pay for them. We cannot continue to send hundreds of millions of dollars out of state while our local businesses struggle.
- Supporting Local Wealth: Through my work at Phoenix Books, I am a fierce defender of our Main Street businesses that pay local taxes and employ our neighbors.
- Opposing the Oligarchy: We need legislative action to level the playing field against corporate giants like Amazon that drain wealth from our towns.
- The Goal: At a time when federal funding is at risk, we must shore up our tax base by protecting the economic independence of our communities.